There's something admirable about the low-budget comedy "Coffee Date" and the questions it's willing to ask about sexual identity. Indie writer-director Stewart Wade, who explored the issues in two previous shorts, delves back into the realm of hetero-homo angst, this time in feature length format by taking an look at what would happen to a straight man if everyone around him decided he was gay.
Todd (Jonathan Bray) is the straight man in question: a poster child for retired frat boys aspiring to modern yuppie-dom. Nevertheless, in search of something more "substantial" than the endless string of one-night stands, he goes on a blind date arranged by his brother Barry (Jonathan Silverman). He's surprised to find that his date, Kelly, is actually a man (Wilson Cruz of "My So-Called Life" fame) and even more surprised to learn that they have a lot in common, despite differing sexual orientations.
It's a typically platonic meet-and-greet until Todd, in an inane attempt at retaliation, plays an unlikely joke on Barry by pretending that he slept with his new gay buddy. The ripple effect is one that Todd could never have predicted. His mother's one-woman gay pride parade, coupled with his co-workers' belief that he couldn't be anything but homosexual, leads him to question whether their instincts could be right - and his wrong. Meanwhile, Kelly grapples with his fond feelings toward the straight guy.
The situation is interesting in its potential plausibility; after all, even the most self-secure heterosexuals are likely to doubt themselves in a climate of overwhelming disbelief. Nevertheless, "Coffee Date" is a film that stumbles tactlessly into all the uncomfortable cringe-inducing traps inherent to its premise. Archaic, hackneyed notions of both homosexual and heterosexual behavior masquerade as comedy, rendering the real laughs few and far between.
For one thing, it isn't all that funny that a man would wipe his palm on his shirt after shaking hands with his presumed-to-be-gay brother. Just as unfunny is the stereotypical "heterosexual panic attack" modeled by Todd when he goes into the bathroom at a gay and lesbian café and is joined by a man at the next urinal. And while we're talking about stereotypes, does every gay man really worship the likes of Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand? "She is the world's greatest living singer and criminally underrated as a director," raves Kelly as Todd eyes a framed poster of Babs. According to "Coffee Date," the answer is yes.
But in terms of answering the most loaded question of all: Can a straight man be friends with a gay man without succumbing to Brokeback Syndrome? "Coffee Date" makes the biggest mistake of all. It fakes left and unnecessarily goes right. "I can have friends that I don't sleep with," says Kelly in an early scene. The film's final verdict leaves one thing clear: If straight guys see this movie with their homosexual friends, it's going to be an awkward walk home.
Copyright (c) 2007 by Lauren Simpson
Todd (Jonathan Bray) is the straight man in question: a poster child for retired frat boys aspiring to modern yuppie-dom. Nevertheless, in search of something more "substantial" than the endless string of one-night stands, he goes on a blind date arranged by his brother Barry (Jonathan Silverman). He's surprised to find that his date, Kelly, is actually a man (Wilson Cruz of "My So-Called Life" fame) and even more surprised to learn that they have a lot in common, despite differing sexual orientations.
It's a typically platonic meet-and-greet until Todd, in an inane attempt at retaliation, plays an unlikely joke on Barry by pretending that he slept with his new gay buddy. The ripple effect is one that Todd could never have predicted. His mother's one-woman gay pride parade, coupled with his co-workers' belief that he couldn't be anything but homosexual, leads him to question whether their instincts could be right - and his wrong. Meanwhile, Kelly grapples with his fond feelings toward the straight guy.
The situation is interesting in its potential plausibility; after all, even the most self-secure heterosexuals are likely to doubt themselves in a climate of overwhelming disbelief. Nevertheless, "Coffee Date" is a film that stumbles tactlessly into all the uncomfortable cringe-inducing traps inherent to its premise. Archaic, hackneyed notions of both homosexual and heterosexual behavior masquerade as comedy, rendering the real laughs few and far between.
For one thing, it isn't all that funny that a man would wipe his palm on his shirt after shaking hands with his presumed-to-be-gay brother. Just as unfunny is the stereotypical "heterosexual panic attack" modeled by Todd when he goes into the bathroom at a gay and lesbian café and is joined by a man at the next urinal. And while we're talking about stereotypes, does every gay man really worship the likes of Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand? "She is the world's greatest living singer and criminally underrated as a director," raves Kelly as Todd eyes a framed poster of Babs. According to "Coffee Date," the answer is yes.
But in terms of answering the most loaded question of all: Can a straight man be friends with a gay man without succumbing to Brokeback Syndrome? "Coffee Date" makes the biggest mistake of all. It fakes left and unnecessarily goes right. "I can have friends that I don't sleep with," says Kelly in an early scene. The film's final verdict leaves one thing clear: If straight guys see this movie with their homosexual friends, it's going to be an awkward walk home.
Copyright (c) 2007 by Lauren Simpson